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In 1982 Officer Marion Wiczulis, Traffic Enforcement, works an unmarked cruiser. The Traffic car was the only one to have white wall tires and red lights, which were approved by Colonel Dick Francis at the time.

Courtesy Joe Wiczulis

Photo courtesy Deputy Commissioner William Rochford

Police Union Meeting 1983

Deputy Commissioner William Rochford, seated at the first chair left side.

Photo courtesy Officer Don DeWar

Officer Don DeWar after graduation with his Mom & Dad

Don joined the department after 4 years in the Military but left the department after one year to continue his college education which he had begun while serving in the department and graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice. He reentered the US Army Reserve and retired after almost 37 years. He ran in 2006 for Baltimore City Council 1st District and lost by a very slim margin and hopes to run again. A real success story for one of our very own.

Officer Juan Rodriguez early 1980's Dogde Aspen

Photo courtesy Lt. Robert Wilson

1983 - Lt. Wilson Snow Storm in Baltimore followed by looting and activation of National Guard

Photo courtesy Det. Lou Trimper

Det. Lou Trimper with Govenor William Donald Schaefer July 11, 1993

Officer W.Hackley photo

Photo Courtesy Sgt. William Gordon

Kevin Lenahan, Bill Gordon, Tim Longo

(Below) Jeff Rosen, Tim Longo, Bill Gordon

Photo Courtesy Sgt. William Gordon

Photo Courtesy Sgt. William Gordon

Marty Beauchamp, Bill & Barb Gordon

1995

Photo Courtesy Sgt. William Gordon

Sergeant William Gordon in the lobby museum of the Headquarters Building

This maybe an 1860’s wedding party but look closely at the girl in the white dress and the guy standing next to her with the white beard.. The Bride is Teddi Bittenger, supervisor of the B of I unit and the Groom is Major Robert DiStefano.

The wedding party:

Seated in front row, L to R: #1 Blue Dress - Sharon Woolridge, wife

of Al; #2 Red Dress - Sheila Crochetti, wife of Rus; #3 Teal Dress -

Pat Ortega, wife of Julio; # 4 Floral Skirt, white blouse, Imogene

Yaste, wife of Pastor Yaste.

Standing, L to R: # 1 Al Woolridge, retired as a Sergeant to supervise the

Boonsboro, it served as a field hospital during the battle of South Mountain, just before the Battle of Sharpsburg, or Antietam. Major DiStefano is the gentleman with the white beard, and his best man Officer Tom Birchett is second from the left, all except the man in red are BCPD cops. The minister is wearing the red of a Confederate Lieutenant of Artillery, he is also wearing the collar insignia of a chaplain, they served double duty in the Confederate Army. Behind them, across the road, is the Dahlgren Chapel, Dahlgren was an admiral in the Union Navy during the Civil War, and he invented the Dahlgren Gun, and was named: "The Father of Naval Ordnance." Major DiStefano is dressed in an authentic reproduction uniform of Confederate General James "Old Pete" Longstreet.

Police Officer Ron Starr, member of the Baltimore Police Honor Guard, Posing with the restored 1968 Chevrolet Police Car During a ceremony at the Baltimore Police Memorial June 2004

Detective Jeff Hidy: ‘God’s in the miracle business’

Jeff Hidy, a detective with the Baltimore City Police Department headquarters security, has battled three different cancers in the last year and a half. “I’m here because I’ve laid things in the Lord’s hands,” Hidy said .

BALTIMORE - Detective Jeff Hidy breathes deeply from the one and one-third lungs he has remaining and declares this “a blessed day.” He utters the phrase at every opportunity from a mouth that never loses its delighted grin. Blessed day, indeed. For Hidy, every day on earth feels like a bonus.

The lung cancer? “It’s like I had a cold,” he says.

The brain tumor they found 30 days later? “Big as a fist,” he says. “Want to see the scar?”

The pain in his leg that turned out, six months ago, to be bone cancer?

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” the first doctor told him.

By this time, owing to history, Hidy had learned a certain cautionary skepticism. He’d worry, all right. Two years ago, when he had a soft, annoying cough that wouldn’t go away, the doctor told him, “Jeff, I guarantee you don’t have lung cancer.”

“Just the same,” said Hidy, “I’d like to get a chest X-ray.”

The X-rays said the doctor was wrong.

“It doesn’t look good,” the doctor said.

“Trust in God; he’ll take care of it,” Hidy said.

A month later, when he was getting chemotherapy for the lung, he told a doctor, “I feel a little spacey. Something’s not right. The cancer couldn’t be in my brain, too, could it?”

“No,” said this doctor. “But why don’t we get an MRI, just to make sure?”

They operated on Hidy’s brain the next day and removed a tumor the size of a small fist.

“See the scar?” says Hidy. He takes off his uniform cap and displays an 18-inch scar quite visible amid a recovering sprinkle of hair.

A 15-year veteran of the Baltimore City Police Department who lives with his wife, Karen, in Middle River, Hidy utters every syllable with sheer joy. He beat the lung cancer, and he beat the brain tumor, and he’ll beat the bone cancer, too, he says.

“A blessed day,” he declares again. “All credit to the Lord. He just keeps carrying me. Satan gave me the tumors, but the Lord carries me through. Plus, I give some credit to the doctors, too.”

He is an upbeat man in a profession that can play decidedly downbeat. The cops see the worst of human nature, and deal with it. Sometimes, it’s all about approach.

“I’ve always been blessed,” Hidy, 50, was saying the other day. He sat in the lobby of police headquarters, near the base of the Jones Falls Expressway, and greeted almost all police employees walking past by their first names.

“In 10 years on the street,” he said, “I never had to shoot at anyone, never had to use my nightstick, never even used Mace. My partner used to say, ‘If Jeff locks somebody up, there shouldn’t even be a trial.’ I treated people the way I’d want them to treat my mother. And I got respect 95 percent of the time.”

Then there was that other 5 percent.

“Well, one time a woman came at me with a knife,” Hidy remembers. “I was responding to a domestic call. She came down the stairs at me with a steak knife. She could have hurt me. I didn’t want to shoot her. She just needed to be calmed down, and I just talked calmly and said I’d try to help her. I was really happy that I could.

“See, every threat level’s different. Anyone’s a liar who says they’re not scared out there. But, as a police [officer], you work your way through your fears. One time this girl hit me with a flashlight. It was Christmas. She was scared, and she went right into a corner and huddled in fear.

“I told her, ‘Listen, my Christmas present to you is, I’m not going to arrest you. But I want you to go to a hospital for help.’ And we got her treatment. That was a blessed day, a very blessed day.”

The phrase tumbles out of him reflexively. He is a deeply religious man at a highly vulnerable time of his life, and this is his comfort.

“I tell people,” he says, “ ‘If the Lord could look out for a bonehead like me, imagine what he’ll do for you.’ I tell this to people all the time. Don’t be scared.”

It is a fact that not everyone who prays gets healed. Hidy’s a man of faith, but he’s not blind.

“But God’s in the miracle business,” he says.

Hidy feels he’s been the recipient of two miracles so far: in his lung and his brain. Now, on his off days from work, he’s getting chemotherapy for the bone cancer. The smile never leaves his face, nor the phrase from his lips: a blessed day, he says.

It’s a blessing just to be around such optimism, and such a man.

COURTESY BOB SMITH BPD PHOTO SUPERVISOR

*BALTIMORE POLICE MOUNTED UNIT*

Courtesy Major Robert DiStefano

Colonel Dick Francis, Major Gill Karner, Captain Robert DiStefano

Officer Vince Cole

COMMAND STAFF 1990's

.

SERGEANT ROBERT "Bob" FISHER

1985 Assigned to Tactical Section

CAPTAIN GARY D"ADDARIO

Captain Garry D'Addario

Photo courtesy Lieut. Robert Oros

Photo courtesy Lieut. Robert Oros

Courtesy Det Ken Driscoll

Sgt. Sonny Dickson

Photo courtesy Lieut. Doug Baumgarten

Officer Doug Baumgarten 1989

Photo courtesy Lt. Juan Rodriquez & Sgt. Linda Rodriquez

Juan Rodriguez and Linda Rodriquez The first husband and wife promoted to the Rank of Sergeant on the same day in the history of the Baltimore City Police Department. June 8, 1994.

Baltimore Police History

1980-2000

TIMELINE

1981 - 20 July 1981 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Ronald L. Tracey 1981 - 5 August 1981 - The original five-digit sequence numbers were assigned alphabetically. The lower the number, the lower in the alphabet your last name. The numbers were often re-issued after an officer left the department. The "new" Short Number, sequence number system began late in 1981. The change came about from a district court requirement for a unique number to identify officers. 1981- Frank Battaglia, was one of our Baltimore City Police Commissioner from 1981-1984 1982 - 11 January 1982 - The department began its Telephone Reporting system telephone reporting unit, police will not argue with citizens who specifically request police service. According to Dennis Hill, the Police Emergency Number, 222·3333, will remain the same. If a person calls this number and requests a patrol car, one will be sent within an average of six minutes.1982 -20 January 1982 -The Baltimore Police Department work side by side and hand in hand with the Checker Cab Company on a project to form the TOP - Taxi On Patrol program. What began here in Baltimore went on to become a national program, to report and solve crimes all over the country 1982- 1982, Kathy Adams became the first female member of QRT (Baltimore's SWAT Team) 1983- 15 January 1983 - The First Woman Promoted to District Commander - Major Bessie R Norris, was promoted to Major and assumed her duties as Commander of the Southwestern District 1983- June of 1983 the department initiates it's Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT) 1983 - 30 July 1983 - The first female K9 officer is assigned. Officer Charlene M. Jenkins is handler to Max 1984 - 28 June 1984 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Johnny LaGrone 1984 - 3 December 1984 - We lost our Brother Detective Marcellus Ward 1984 - The Latent Print Unit began the use of Printrak. Printrak enabled the department to use computerized fingerprint searches to assist examiners with respondents for potential latent print identification. 1984 - Bishop Robinson, was one of our Baltimore City Police Commissioner from 1984-1987 1985 - 1 March 1985 - Baltimore City Police officially begins its 911 emergency call number, a program that was in the works since the first call came in at 11:36 am from someone that had locked their keys their car. Prior to 911 emergency calls went into 222-3333 and non-emergency calls went into 396-1111 1985 - 6 March 1985 a senior at Johns Hopkins University, by the name of Michael Patrick Sullivan, 22 years of age at the time, a resident in the 300 Blk. of East University Parkway, was arrested for making a false report to Baltimore Police Department’s newly formed 911 Emergency Call Center. This made him the first person arrested on the charge since the inception of said, Emergency Call Number. Baltimore’s 911 system went into effect just 6 days earlier, after the inception of the system on 1 March 1985. 1985 - 8 October 1985 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Richard J. Lear 1985 - 18 November 1985 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Vincent J. Adolfo 1985 - Adopted a computerized booking procedure for prisoners, and 911 emergency systems 1986 - 21 July 1986 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Richard Thomas Miller 1986 - 20 September 1986 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert Alexander 1987 - Edward J. Tilghman, was one of our Baltimore City Police Commissioner from 1987-1989 1987 - June 1987 - The Baltimore Police Child Abuse Unit was initiated 1987 - 24 October 1987 - Baltimore Public Housing Projects were patrolled by "Baltimore Housing Authority Police" a police agency that was State funded and took over private security in the projects of Baltimore city, it initially was patrolled by 15 officers and 6 supervisors. Part of REACT (Responsible Enforcement and Aggressive Community Training) officers, which was designed to eliminate drug trafficking at the 53 public housing projects. These officers trained with City Police, under Maryland training Commission guidelines. 1989 - 10 October 1989 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William J. Martin 1989 - Edward V. Woods, was one of our Baltimore City Police Commissioner from 1989-1993 1990 - 7 Feb 1990 - Random Drug tests began, the first 59 members of the department tested were Commissioner Edward V Woods and his 58 member command staff. A week later Officers were randomly called into the medical section for urine tests. - Woods ordered a study of the idea after he took over the top job at the Police Department last July. "We've had drug testing for cause and tested applicants in the past," said police spokesman Dennis Hill. "This represents the first [time] everybody will be randomly tested." Seven officers were charged criminally, suspended from duty or stripped of their police powers in the year prior to these tests because of allegations of drug involvement. 1990 - In 1990 the range switched from the NRA-B27 target to the FBI-Q target. The reason stated at the time was that the NRA-B27 was a silhouette target, a black figure of a man with a white background, while the FBI-Q was a grey, and white target; some describe as a bottle or bowling pin. There were two justifications for the switch, one was that some felt we were training to shoot black men and that the FBI-Q target being grey, and white eliminated any misrepresentation of race. The other reason for the switch was the size of the targets, and that had a twofold justification. One the Q target was smaller which would improve our accuracy in shooting; the other was that the smaller targets cost half as much, which significantly reduced budget, and operating cost at the range. In any case, it was a move that had to be made. There will be photos of the two targets elsewhere on this site. 1990- 1 Aug 1990 - One of our horses in the line of duty - "Sox" was a 14-year-old gelding bent down to nibble some grass on Federal Hill and got his right foot caught in the reins. This caused the horse to become excited and trip, falling down the hill to the street below, breaking the horses back in the fall. 1990- The Department begins phasing in the Glock model 17 - 9mm semi-auto handgun, to replace the S&W model 10 / model 64 - .38 cal. pistol. This transition took roughly 3 years to complete. (The first academy class to use the Glocks were 90-2 and 90-3) 1991 - Gunshot Residue Analysis (GSR) using Scanning Electron Microscopy began in 1991. 1992 - The Baltimore Police Department re-initiated their Bicycle unit, a unit that was brought back after nearly 20 years as it was formerly used in 1972 and even as many as 70 or more years earlier. 1992 - 21 September 1992 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Ira Neil Weiner 1993 - 26 May 1993 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Herman A. Jones, Sr. 1993 - The Breathalyzerwas replaced with a computerized version, a unit called "The Intoximeter."1994 - Construction was due to begin construction on the Police Annex Building in October and complete by late 1996. In 2007 it would be renamed after former Police Commissioner Bishop L. Robinson. 1994 - 28 May 1994, While awaiting their identifying marks Baltimore Police cruisers hit the street with no decals, and unlike the previous 24 years of Baltimore Police cars, these would feature both red and blue lights, as in July of 1970 Police vehicles started using only blue emergency lights. In 1994 however as they got rid of the Ford Taurus' and brought in 162 new Chevy Caprice Police cars all white, with light bars, but no decals we also started a new era in BPD Light-bars, now with both Red and Blue lights. 1994- 4 Aug 1994 - Police Horse dies in the line of duty. The 14·year-old American quarter horse named "Bozman" died in the line of duty as his rider was thrown during a chase and Bozman ran into a parked car causing the injury that took his life. 1994- 16 November 1994 - The department ended authorized use of the Slap Jack 1994- The Polygraph Unit began using a computerized polygraph instrument for conducting polygraph examinations.1994- 7 April 1994 - In 1992 SCAN (Scientific Content ANaylysis) a Linguistic Polygraph Technique was brought to Central District. Though first introduced to the district in late 1992 it wouldn't be until April of 1994 when Officer Driscoll returned to full duty that it was officially recognized and put to use. Note - The first official case involved a suspect arrested for a carjacking, that was cleared of the crime. Central District's Major at the time was Leonard Hamm he was so impressed with the technique that within three days of clearing the case Officer Driscoll was transferred to Major Crimes.1994- Thomas C. Frazier, was one of our Baltimore City Police Commissioner from 1994-1999 1994- June 8, 1994 - Juan Rodriguez and Linda Rodriquez became the first husband and wife to be promoted to the rank of Sergeant on the same day in the history of the Baltimore City Police Department. 1994 - 24 June 1994 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Gerald M. Arminger 1994/95 - The City had Officers wearing, dark blue pants, white shirts, black ties, with a dark blue blouse (jacket) and black shoes. They also had us carrying a briefcase. The idea was our Brass wanted us looking professional, more like businessmen. In 1994, the finally let us start wearing dark blue shirts that matched the pants. 1994 - 14 October 1994 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Richard Harris 1995 -April 1991 - Regional Auto Theft Task-force - Having your car stolen off the streets of Baltimore in the 1990s was far from unusual. Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Maryland State Police knew something had to change, they joined forces and formed RATT (Regional Auto Theft Task-force) y 2005 they cut auto-thefts in Baltimore by 50%. 1995- 28 November 1995 CBIF Central Booking Intake Facility opens closing down cell-blocks all over the city. Moving court from the districts to Eastside court was the first step in taking prisoners out of the districts. 1995 - Under Police Commissioner Thomas Frasier comes another of Baltimore's many shoulder patch changes, Up until 1995 our Officers either wore no patch, a single rocker patch, or one of the two "City" "No City" Patches on their left shoulder. Commissioner Frasier changed that when he ordered patches be worn on both shoulders. The story behind the change is almost as bizarre as the stories for the dropping of the word "City" from the patch in 1977. You can find the story) 1995/96- There was another change to the uniform, Officers started wearing dark blue shirts to match their dark blue pants. This was a welcome addition to the midnight officers as it helped them sneaking around the streets and alleys. (It helped distinguish rank and didn't get as dirty as fast, your average municipal police officer will have someone resist arrest two to three times a week, this makes for a dirty uniform shirt- Another note about the Baltimore Police Officer Uniform, it was designed to look like a businessman, a nice blouse, white shirt tie, and pants, they even issued a briefcase so we looked professional.) 1996 - 20 June 1896 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William Wilder1996 - The Mobile Unit began using CAD aided design programs to do computerized crime scene sketches. 1996 - 2 Oct 1996 - Baltimore becomes the first Police Department in the country to use the Non-Emergency 311 system. We had only started using 911 11 years earlier on 1 March 1985. 1996- The Identikit sketches were replaced with a computerized version called E-Fit. E-Fit was adopted by the department because it could be used on any computer by the investigating Detective, to more quickly obtain a sketch of the suspect. 1996- Baltimore Police Officers lose their Espantoon when it was replaced with the Koga Baton in Mid-August of 1996. According to an 11 August 1996 Sun report, Peter Herman reports this change explaining in detail, Police Commissioner Thomas C. Frazier thoughts, and reasoning for the change. That report can be found in an article entitled, "Police Get Rid of an Old Weapon - Baton Training Aims to Supplant use of Traditional Nightstick" on the Espantoon page of this website. 1996 - August 1996 - The Baltimore Police Department became the first ever with a non-emergency 311 system. - If the pilot program worked, the number would be used in other cities to offer residents an alternative way of getting assistance from their local police without tying up lines designed to quickly handle life-threatening emergency situations. The initial news reports began in July of 1996 and the program went into testing by August of the same year. 1997 - Less Lethal Bean Bag rounds were issued Remington 870 green handle shotguns were being used with a less lethal bean bag round.1997 - 7 May 1997 - We lost our BrotherLieutenant Owen Eugene Sweeney, Jr.1998 - 30 October 1998 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Harold Jerome Carey1998 - 4 November 1998 - We lost our Brother Flight Officer Barry Winston Wood1997/98 - Headquarters had major improvements and modifications with the addition of the Annex Building.

Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.

Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. follow us on Twitter @BaltoPoliceHist or like us on Facebook or mail pics to 8138 Dundalk Ave. Baltimore Md. 21222

Wanted

Copies of: Baltimore Police Department class photos, pictures of officers, vehicles, equipment, newspaper articles relating to our department. Also wanted Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, Hot Sheets Reports, and or Brochures.
Information on retired or deceased officers, fallen or injured officers and anything that may help us to preserve the history and proud traditions of this agency.